Urban Tribalism: The Neuf People of Baltimore

tribalism

The very word summons images of archaic cultures hunting and gathering resources by day and huddling around a communal fire telling old stories about cultural history and myth by night. The idea of a tribal culture in modern society seems utterly preposterous. The pace of modern living does not seem to be conducive to this seemingly slow and painstaking process of day-to-day survival. However, tribalism is not a description of the technological state or geographical location of a people. Rather, it describes the bonds shared by any group of people affiliated with one another ideologically. In this sense tribalism is very applicable to modern society. Every interest group in existence could be classified as a tribe. From subculture groups such as hippies and metal heads to more organized and less obviously tribal groups like homeowners associations and the PETA, even extending to such microcosmic levels as families and friends, tribalism is in fact entirely intertwined with modern society.

opposite below:cave painting from Lascaux, France

opposite above:members of the Yanomamo tribe of Brazil

urban tribalism

As previously mentioned there are an infinite amount of tribal organizations built into the modern urban lifestyle. What the general public rarely hears about, however, are the microcosmic examples of true tribalism in urban environments. There do exist in urban areas examples of small groups of individuals who have taken on a communal existence with one another and have developed around themselves a distinctive culture defined by various codes of morals as well as unique aesthetic sensitivities that are not replicated anywhere in the world. The groups that are most commonly regarded as true tribal cultures in modern urban societies are generally gangs. This lifestyle, however, leans far more toward a parasitic relationship with the rest of society. This is not an aspect that is typically inherent in tribal culture, and is obviously not one that is desirable in the context of forming a tribal society that can prosper and interact with greater society. Additionally, most gangs require the individual to surrender a large degree of their individuality in a very similar way to most militaristic tribal cultures. This facet is undesirable by modern philosophy simply because of the importance we place on individuality and self-expression. That is not to say that gang cultures are completely devoid of this individual expression, just that they require the individual to make great sacrifices that may or may not benefit the whole. This phenomenon directly conflicts with fundamental tribal structures.

opposite:a member of the Latin Kings showing off his gang tattoo

the neuf people

The Neuf people of Baltimore, Maryland strive to find a balance between the individualistic nature of modern society and maintaining a communally driven culture. The end result is a tribal structure that has a number of very close philosophical ties to the Maori people of New Zealand, as well as some West African tribes such as the Bwa and Yoruba people. These philosophies manifest themselves most apparently in the art created by the Neuf but are also evident in their social structure. Every member of the tribe is treated as an equal, but the contributions to the whole vary based on the occupation and skills of the individual. Financially, every individual maintains a separate pool of resources and monetary aid is given to members of the tribe based on both need and practicality. If a member of the tribe needs a tool for his work such as a computer or construction materials, or if a member needs help financing a house or car the other members gladly pitch in. If the individual wants to get himself or herself a fancy new television or some other non essential object, they are on their own in acquiring it.

The Neuf are only able to function because they are such a small community. Trying to manage this style of sharing financial resources in a group that is any larger than ten families has a tendency to become too hard to manage and increases the likelihood that one or more members of the tribe may conduct themselves in a way that violates the principle philosophies of the community. For this reason the Neuf are very careful about whom they allow to join the tribe and start a new family. Prospective entrees to the group are carefully evaluated based on financial security (both of the individual and of the tribe itself), character, work ethic, and most importantly by how they interact with the Neuf. In many ways, joining the Neuf is similar to applying for an insurance policy or a loan and the tradeoff is quite similar. New members are expected to make a contribution to the tribe upon joining, usually this means providing a major service for the community. Typically these contributions involve hosting a feast or party in which all of the tribe members partake, but can also take the form of a service from the individual based on their occupation that benefits the tribe as a whole.

The Neuf are a very scrupulous people, carefully evaluating every action and how it will affect the tribe before executing. The Neuf are also a very forgiving people. If one of their own takes an action that is detrimental to the tribe such as unwise or improper use of communal funds the tribe is quick to respond to and solve the problem. The offending individual is chastised by the entirety of the tribe and decisions of similar character made by that member are given special attention until such time as they are deemed reliable enough to act independently. Typically such offenses are quickly forgiven and life resumes as normal, but on rare occasions for particularly grievous offenses or continually repeated offenses, members can be cast out of the community. These exiles are still treated with respect and are able to interact with the Neuf, but are not allowed to participate in ceremonial practices or share in the amassed wealth of the tribe.

neuf art

Creativity and self-expression are traits that are highly valued by the Neuf. They engage in all manner of art making from painting to computer graphics, but have developed an incredibly distinctive visual aesthetic that integral to identifying themselves on a personal level as well as their role within greater society. They have engineered a rich geometric symbolic system that is intended to serve as a basic vocabulary for individual expression of personal values, beliefs, talents, and family history. This vocabulary is used in all manner of ways in all manner of scenarios, but is most important to the Neuf practices of tattoo art and mask making.

neuf tattoo

Neuf tattoo shares very close philosophical ties to the Maori practice of Moko tattooing, particularly in their shared belief that the tattoo is meant to be an expression of personal identity as well as family history. This allows families to develop a central symbol for themselves, binding them closer together, as well as individual elaboration of these central icons for the purpose of individual expression. These icons are formulated by a rich and ever expanding vocabulary of geometric symbols. These symbols, as well as their specific meaning, have a tendency to vary slightly from person to person but maintain a core interpretation accepted by all members of the Neuf Tribe. Repitition of symbols within a design indicate the importance of that particular idea to the wearer of the design or the family represented by the crest.

known neuf geometric symbols and their meanings

intellect, education inner conflict

outsiders, greater society creativity, insanity

passage of time,number of generations

travel, experience, wisdom

faith, hope, religion order, perfectionism

military or police service inner peace

family crests based on the outsider symbol

webber family crest

This family values travel, education, and order. The absence of the spiral symbol indicates that this is one of the families that helped start the tribe.

Typically the person who is going to be wearing a tattoo designs it themselves, but if an individual considers themselves to be artistically incapable they can enlist the help of another tribe member who knows them and their family very well to develop their personal symbols. Members of the tribe are strongly encouraged to partake in this practice as it strengthens tribal bonds but in cases where having tattoos is inappropriate because of occupation, the individual is underage, or simple personal preference, there is an alternative. For those individuals who remain unmarked, the Neuf have developed a means of screen-printing the body with temporary tattoos for the purpose of ceremony. This practice, too, contributes to strengthening tribal bonds because it requires at least two people other than the person being tattooed to perform. One of the two individuals stretches a loose screen exposed with the tattoo design over the wearer’s body while the other person pulls the ink across the screen. In this state, the person undergoing the process cannot move. If the “patient” does move, then there is a large chance the tattoo will be ruined and the process will have to be repeated. Additionally, the patient must rely on his companions to align the design correctly to the contours of his or her body. If this is failed, the process must also be repeated. This process is entirely painless and under the hands of experienced printers can be executed extremely quickly. Even with inexperienced printers the process is fairly quick because all they require to make another attempt is for the patient to wash off the failed attempt, wash out the screen, and dry both.

opposite:temporary tattooing process

neuf masks

The Neuf also engage in the manufacture of simple, small masks typically worn as badges, buckles, or other accessories in similar fashion to many West African tribes. These masks serve as a similar identifier to the tattoos, but are meant more as an expression of themselves and their role in greater society. The visual language is very similar to the tattoos, but the mask is symbolic of the face that each individual must put on to engage in activity with modern society. In a way the mask serves as a guardian of the individual’s true self, making sure that they don’t forget who they are even while they are bogged down by the trappings and concerns of modern day life.Neuf masks are typically constructed of layered shapes of wood glued together, but have been built from other materials in uncommon occasions. In similar fashion to their tattoo art, masks are usually designed and fabricated by the person who will wear it. These masks were constructed with aid of a laser cutter to ensure that all of the shapes line up properly, but similar constructions have been fabricated with conventional tools. Unlike their tattoos, which the individual must be of legal age to obtain, Neuf are allowed to design and create masks for themselves at any age and may choose to change the design of their mask at any time. This allows them to maintain a symbol that changes as their lives do, creating an appropriate mask to represent their role in modern society based on their current situation.

personal invitation

The neuf people graciously volunteered to share their philosophy and lifestyle with the rest of the world in the hope that they would be able to encourage people living dissatifying lifestyles in urban areas to give their system a chance and formulate similar cultures of their own. The Neuf truly believe they have managed to cultivate a new, sustainable, beneficial lifestyle that if applied correctly by small groups of people all over the world could usher in a new age of community revival and an increase in the quality of life of the individual. They will happily assist in the planning of new tribal infrastructures and in finding people who possess personality traits that make this lifestyle possible. To this end, they have supplied contact information in the back of this publication for anyone who has questions or concerns regarding the Neuf lifestyle and how a person can begin to apply it to their own lives.

neuf contact info

meettheneuf@yahoo.com703 801 7826